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🌿 When we look at serving women in the sense of a traditional midwife what do we see? Our modern version of a midwife is perhaps rather distanced from the true ‘with woman’ perspective. Traditionally ‘call the midwife’ was in that literal sense; birth, death and in between, the midwife, red tent, with woman and the feminine. This podcast I am so delighted to talk with this amazing woman Jenny Blyth. Jenny is a co-founder of Birthwork, Author and producer of some amazing materials covering all things maternity care. Jenny talks about her 40 years experience and how by picking up a copy of Spiritual Midwifery in 1980 may have changed her life.

Jenny begins her story by talking about the pregnancy and birth of her first daughter some 37 years ago, as you can imagine things were very different back then. Jenny saw home birth as a very new concept while in the Sunshine Coast area of Australia, yet she knew that she wanted something more than what was offered. The first appointment she had with was completely supported by her doctor showing empathy and understanding in the fact that she wanted to birth at home. Jenny, during her pregnancy also found a copy of Ina May Gaskin’s book Spiritual Midwifery. This book was only in publication for a few years, fresh off the shelf and Jenny found this may have paved the way to where she is today. So Jenny planned home birth, they planned this at her mothers place that had a phone and was closer to the hospital. However, things eventuated in a different light, baby become before they expected and they were not at her mothers place so they drove straight to the hospital and had baby with 2 hours. Now think of birth in the 80’s you usually stayed at the hospital for at least a week. However Jenny was home within a few hours. They felt safe and comfortable to go home. Really interesting to hear this journey for her first birth.
We talked about death and birth and the creations of the altered states around this. Deep connections, with baby is profound and this travels to the realm of death to. Being supported in this space to really feel into these altered biological states.
Next pregnancy for Jenny saw her learning massage and body manipulation training. She was finding that around the community there was not much acknowledgement and support around the body experience and the amazing nature of what birth could bring. With out trying to throw her own experience into this Jenny talked to many women. Jenny witnessed her first birth as an assistant with her friend and how this extended into her next birth journey. This birth had a lot of masculine energy with three men present. Jenny describes this as being comfortable with this and it was a wonderful experience.
We talk about Jenny’s journey apprenticing with a home birth midwifes around the mid to late 80’s. Jenny was learning skills from this midwife that she could use to better prepare women in their pregnancy journeys.
Third baby saw another birth at home and this time Jenny felt very fine for it to be just the children and her partner and she was completely OK with this. Her five year old daughter at the time held the torch for Jenny while she birthed, having siblings at the birth was well remembered by Jenny as a profound experience. We talk about her daughter now with her own children and how being a part of ‘normal birth’ has shaped her perceptions into her own birth journeys. Jenny talks about the deep emotional impact of seeing her daughter grow her baby in her womb and being present at her birth.

We talk then about Jenny’s birth projects books and film Birthwork, Down to Earth Birth Book, The Big Stretch and A World of Birth workers. Birthwork was the first publication that was really about all the experiences that Jen...